2012 Meursault Tete de Murger

Creamy, oatmeal and orange pith, even a little honeyed note, and blossom. Invitingly ripe fruited and complex on the nose. Less full flavoured on the palate but taut and lively, fresh and persistent. (JH)

The 2012 Meursault Cuvee Tete de Murger has a precise, more floral bouquet with scents of buttercup and nettles infusing the bright, citric fruit. There is also a suggestion of dried honey and almond. The palate is well-balanced with a little more roundness than the other Meursault cuvees and it feels a little fatter and voluminous in the mouth. It builds nicely in the mouth with touches of spice furnishing the long finish. This should turn out to be a feisty Meursault that will bring plenty of joy over six to eight years. Patrick Javillier was busy down in his Meursault winery when I called in at the property that was established by Raymond Javillier after the war, when he set about acquiring parcels of vine around the village. Yet the main focus of the business was in purchasing fruit from courtiers. Patrick himself vinified his first wine in 1974 after completing his winemaking diploma at the University of Burgundy and steadily built up a raft of long-term contracts, tending holdings through fermage agreements. Since 2008, his daughter Marion has looked after and vinified the red wines and it was clear that Patrick takes a great deal of pride in them. I have been following Javillier’s wines for a number of years now. Here is a man determined to transcend the limitations of possessing propitious terroirs, but few premier and grand cru vines. How does he overcome them? Well, simply by straightforward winemaking tenets: complete de-stemming for the reds, remaining faithful to his trusty old Vaslin press (which was recuperating in the corner after the vintage), skillful use of new oak and by assiduously blending small parcels whose final wine is often more than a sum of its parts. Patrick told me that he commenced picking on September 12 with potential alcohol levels coming in between 12.0 and 12.9 degrees. These wines often represent outstanding value and we commence with his two generic whites that offer outstanding value year after year. Importer: A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 01 33 1 42 55 42 93

Good full yellow. Slightly reduced aromas of ripe pineapple, lime and flowers. Rich, glyceral and large-scaled for this bottling, with fresh pineapple fruit complicated and energized by peppery herbs. Maintains its balance thanks to harmonious acidity. This was 12.5% natural alcohol chaptalized to 13.2%.